Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Review: The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde.

Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni’s stepson, Jason, from an infected campground.

They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town. There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who have returned in zombie form.

Zombie stories are my guilty pleasure. They’re exciting, full of action, gory, but they terrify me to bits. Surviving a zombie apocalypse is no easy feat. So, as expected, I read this with my heart pounding from start to finish, knowing that these people are most likely doomed no matter what, because zombies always win… always. It was such a rush!!

An incredibly frightening zombie story- The First Days, as the title conveys, starts at the very beginning of a zombie apocalypse. People are getting bitten, then turn on others to feed. No one knows what’s happening, but after Jenni sees her family succumb to this horror, she flees. This is not easy for her. Being a mother myself, that beginning is incredibly heartbreaking. I just kept imagining being in her shoes, seeing my children turn into monsters in front of my eyes. Uncomprehending. The tangible emotions in this story is a big part of why it’s such a chilling read. It makes it extremely realistic. The setting, the pace, the reactions; it’s all how I imagine it would happen if the zombocalypse were to start today. It really makes you think.

We meet a lot of different types of personalities during this story. The panicked, the determined, the optimist, and the destroyed. Rhiannon greatly portrays how society would react to such terror. Our protagonists are two strong females who go through remarkable depths to help each other, as well as strangers they meet down the road. These women are incredibly intelligent. They don’t let their emotions turn them incompetent- which is the only way you’re able to survive in this new world. I grew immensely fond of both of them. I even felt like I knew them; they were so real. We also have a band of eccentric supporting characters who make their way into these women’s lives. Each one adds a little bit of charm, even humor, to this otherwise somber story. I didn’t care much for the added romance in the novel, though. It felt a tad artificial, mostly due to its hastiness. However, I realized afterwards that people in such situations would have a tendency to develop feelings at an accelerated pace, hence making theirs probable. It also does give a nice breather from the constant anxiety and panic, so it was never seen as a negative point.

Zombie movies are all about horror and gore, but The First Days is so much more. You will grow to know and care for these people. You will see how, in a zombie world, new rules have to apply, hard choices have to be made, you can’t take ANYTHING for granted, and no one is safe, ever. It will strip you to the core!

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

Huh. I obviously need to give this another chance because I tried to read it a few months ago and couldn’t get more than 30 pages in. I must have just been in a rotten mood or something because everyone else seems to rave about it. I think I’ll try getting it from the library again.

@Karen: I’m sure not every single person will love it, but you should give it another try if you like zombie stories. I know she self-published and then got picked up by Tor, did you maybe try the self pubbed one? Tor released this one last July, I don’t know how different they are but I imagine they were improved.

A zombie-killing partnership? Why isn’t this book on my TBR already?! 😀 I love the sound of that and your review makes me want it even more. I’m glad you enjoyed it! I love books about zombies and this sounds like something I really need to get round to soon. Awesome review Giselle! 😀

@Sam & Alexa: If you’re loving zombie books it’s a sin to not have this one on your list missy!!

@Kat: I haven’t had the chance to pick up book 2 yet either. But every day I want to! GAH! Darn review schedule. I have my review scheduled in March for book 2 so that way I’m SURE I’ll be getting to it soon >.< I agree though female protags are perfect for this series.

@Candace: Haha It definitely IS scary and intense. But it’s a really great story too, it’s not one of those horrors written just to get us scared. It has a great overall story and amazing characters. Maybe on a bright sunny day you could try it? Teehee

I’m with Jennifer and Amy and many others. This is one of those books where I see amazing reviews and think “I’ve not got this yet…why?”. I love the fact that in this, you get to know the characters. Then it actually hurts if they die. This really does sound good.

I agree with you about quickly developing relationships in frightening situations. That’s why that part didn’t bother me one bit. And I still haven’t forgotten those tiny fingers… *shudders* The second book was even more action packed and I liked it quite a bit, but I still haven’t read the third. Fabulous review as usual, Giselle. 🙂

Even though I know I would be among the first to be eaten should the zombies come for me, I still love a good zombie story. Sounds like these gals have the gumption to survive, especially since they didn’t become wailing ninnies!

*whispers* You rimed! “Zombie movies are all about horror and gore, but The First Days is so much more.”

Moving on! Sooooooo awesome review. Seriously, now I want to read this even more than before! Zombies creeps me out so bad, but after loving both Dearly, Departed and Dark Inside (which is kinda zombie style), I think I would enjoy it still. These kind of novels does make you think! *adds to to-read pile*

I’m seriously struggling not to just follow that link and press order right now. This book sound so good. If my tbr pile weren’t threatening to take over our entire house I would have bought it now this instant. Have to read some of the books I own first then…

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Giselle

Giselle is a wife and mother who lives on books and coffee - what else is there?
She's known to be sarcastic and rarely serious. She loves reading books, blogging
about books, chatting about books, and smelling books. Although YA is her current
favorite she has a wide variety of genres that she enjoys. She likes her characters
bad-ass, her plots full of action and her fair share of gore - though she will
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Rashika has been tired since 2013. There are very few things that spark joy for her besides a nice cup of tea, warm, baked goods, good books and good TV shows. She is here to pile onto your giant TBRs and to-watch lists. Offer her a cookie and she might be nice to you.

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